You Can Smile Again
by duwangs
Summary: After suffering a crippling defeat by the hands of Kaido, Luffy is sent back in time to before he even met Shanks. With a Smile forever forced upon his lips and trauma weighing down on his mind, Luffy looks towards a future where his friends can live in peace. But there's a catch. There's always a catch. Time travel fic. Pairings undecided. Slightly more mature!Luffy.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Well, here we go again. I've always been interested in Time Travel Luffy stories, being a fan of Once Again in particular myself, so I wanted to take a crack at it myself. Just with a couple of twists here and there.

This story is, if you've guessed already, inspired by Re:Zero, at least in some form. There will be no pairings for a while, as this is a slow burn. Plus Luffy's like, physically five at this point in the story.

**Summary:**

After suffering a crippling defeat at the hands of Kaido, Luffy is sent back to his seven-year-old self for a chance to fix things. But meddling with timelines is a dangerous thing, and can have dire consequences. Re:Zero AU, in which Luffy's interference with his own past and others results in domino effects he could never even imagine.

* * *

**The **first thing Luffy noticed was the blood - or lack thereof.

When he had held Ace in his arms during his brother's final moments, there was plenty of that. Of course there was, having a _fist _driven through your _stomach _would cause a large amount of spillage for anyone, even for a man made of fire. It was strange, then, to see _their _remains on the floor, what little remained of them, not bleeding.

He vaguely remembered Chopper - poor, sweet, innocent Chopper - telling him about the effects of cauterizing the wound after he had asked. The doctor had been so _ecstatic _to explain something to him, and Luffy himself was just as excited to listen to the lesson, and now his body was nowhere to be found - only his hat remained.

Of course, Kaido must have eviscerated him. His body was small, after all.

Luffy dragged himself across the dirt with his remaining arm, the other one having been destroyed in the blast, and settled by his doctor's hat. A moment of silence washes over him as he picks it up, choking back tears.

It smelt of cherry blossoms and ash.

Ever since Marineford, he always had an aversion to burning flesh. That was nothing new to him, not after _his brother's body was laying on top of him, smoke rising from him, and the wretched scent of burnt flesh filling his nostrils and breath, to the point where it was hard to breath and he would have only gagged if he wasn't crying_ -

He froze up, coughing up a fit. Even now he found it hard to think about Ace's death, and it was only making his mental state worse. Shaking violently, he placed Chopper's hat down, standing up with trembling knees.

"Brook…" he started, bottom lip quivering. "Brook, are you out there?"

He was half-expecting Brook to jump out from the ash and yell something about a skull joke, but nothing happened. All that remained was silence.

"Come - come on," Luffy laughed. "It's been a nice prank, but it's over now. Right guys?"

Dead silence.

"Franky? Robin?" There was no way that blast could have hit Franky - he's a cyborg, after all. And Robin always had a trick up her sleeve. She would've found a way to get out of the way in time.

His darting eyes paused on their bodies. Half-gone. Even some of their faces were missing.

Luffy didn't scream. Not yet. There was _still _a chance that some of them survived. They weren't so weak as to die from one measly attack from Kaido, after all. The Straw Hat Pirates were survivors, they were fighters, they were _winners_. They were meant to explore the rest of the oceans together. They couldn't die here. They just couldn't.

On the other side of the rubble, he spotted familiar mint-green hair through ash and dust, twitching ever-so-slightly. There was a moment of silence, where Luffy didn't dare allow himself to hope, before a faint cough reached his ears and Zoro moved. As soon as he showed the first signs of life, Luffy rushed over to his first mate with his heart racing in his chest. The swordsman groaned.

"Oi, Zoro!" the captain forced a relieved smile. "I'm so glad you're - "

He froze. In a moment of horrified realisation, he finally caught sight of Zoro's condition.

Both of his legs were missing, as well as a large chunk of his stomach. Again there was no blood. The wound was burnt over by the fire blast. Zoro spat blood on the ground, lifting himself up with his arms, before a tremor shook through his whole body and he fell to the ground again

Luffy screamed.

Every one of them, _every last one_ \- Brook, Chopper, Franky, Robin, Zoro, Usopp, Sanji, Nami, Law, Kidd - they were all annihilated by Kaido. Just one shot was enough to wipe them all out. It was unfair, it was sickening, it was _not what their journey was supposed to be_. It wasn't supposed to end here. His voice turning hoarse, he collapsed to his knees, eyes rolled back in his head. Somewhere above him he heard the booming voice of Kaido, no doubt taunting him for his failure.

Numbly, he registered King cuffing his legs and remaining arm with seastone. The twisted bastard - Luffy had only heard rumours of what he had done to Killer, and he had witnessed the aftereffects of it. But whatever was in store for him couldn't be any worse than the pain he had just been through, the humiliating and torturous feeling of losing his entire crew. Just like Sabaody, all over again - he was too weak to save any of them.

His mind went blank.

He barely registered King carrying him off somewhere, and he didn't notice when he was shackled to a wall. Even the searing pain of a burning rod prodding into his skin wasn't enough to wake him up from his near comatose-like state. It must have been hours of whipping and branding and torture, but to him it felt only like a fleeting moment passing in time. Finally, he feels a prick on the back of his neck - injection, he thought.

"This is a prototype," King said. Luffy didn't have the strength to glare at him. "A defunct Smile for Devil Fruit users. Caesar didn't say whether it was ready or not when he sent it. But congratulations… you're the first."

Luffy laughed.

And then he died.

* * *

Dying wasn't as peaceful as he'd thought it would be. Contrary to what he believed, it was not a gentle passing, but rather like he was violently drowning, gasping for air that would never come. Luffy reached with his hands out to the sun, praying for a way to return, to find his comrades again and start anew - and this time _defeat _Kaido.

He was in a dark place, full of shadows and whispers and mist. It's haunting, to him, as if he can feel every last friend of his who died blaming him for his failures.

It takes him a while in his panicked state to realise that both his hands had returned - he was somehow healed. What's more, they were a lot smaller than he remembered them being.

Luffy tried to scream, but all would come out was a hoarse laugh.

It must have been a result of the Smile injected into him. Luffy was no stranger to laughing, or joy, but the forced grin upon him did nothing but anger him. He pulled at his lips, begging them to go down, but they never would. Instead of stretching down normally, Luffy felt a pain drive through his cheeks, and let go promptly. There was a similar effect when he'd don the seastone cuffs. He'd lost his Devil Fruit powers, too.

Collapsing to his knees, Luffy punched the ground and choked back tears.

"D-damn - shishishi - it!" he squeaked. He froze, the blood draining from his head.

That was not the voice of a grown man. That was the voice of a child.

"What the hell?" he said, his voice still somehow high-pitched. "What - what's going on here?"

Slowly around him, things came into view, as if materialising out of nowhere. Floorboards, a bed, a drawer, a door, a mirror, a window. Outside it looked like it was still coming into place, with dark clouds looming over him. He was clearly in a room of some kind, one that tugged some sort of familiarity deep within him that he didn't know how to explain.

The mirror. He had to see the mirror, see what damages were caused by King's doing - and see why his hands were so damn small.

Luffy looked in the mirror and laughed. A child laughed back at him.

This must be it. He must finally have gone insane. After the loss of his whole crew, this is what he has become. A laughing shell of his former self, _seeing _things that weren't there. The first conclusion he had wasn't the most logical, but it was the only idea he had.

"Alright, Bonney, that's enough," he said. "You can turn me back now."

No answer came.

He'll admit, he didn't get to know her very well in Saboady, just that they had an eating competition together that ended in a draw. That apparently was enough to garner each other's respect as rivals. What he did know of her was the fact that she could alter people's ages.

Yes, that's right. She must have rescued him from Kaido somehow, and was playing a prank now.

He smiled. "It's not a very funny joke, Bonney."

Still, the only answer he received was silence. Luffy frowned and looked over his shoulder at the door, as if expecting it to open any second. When it didn't he walked towards it himself, holding his arm up to twist the doorknob to no luck. The door wouldn't budge.

"Bonney?"

Turning back he stared at himself in the mirror again.

He was a child.

He was a child again.

This wasn't Bonney's fruit power, this was something else entirely. As soon as that realisation hit that there might be _no fix for this_, Luffy fell on his backside, still staring wide-eye into the mirror, a grin etched on his lips.

That smile. That stupid smile. He hated it, he wanted it to stop - he didn't want to smile anymore, not when he had lost so much.

Screaming loudly, his cries mixed in with hysterical laughter, Luffy pulled his arm back and swung at the mirror. Shards of glass shattered to the floor with a resounding smash, with some of the unlucky shards sticking into his hand, making him bleed. Luffy could only laugh in response as the cold pain seared through his skin. He was no stranger to getting stabbed, but somehow his pain tolerance had lessened. Clutching his hand to his chest, he continued to cry out in mental and physical pain, somehow getting in hagged breaths of laughter between his screams.

He pulled himself to a corner and hid there, not noticing the dark clouds disappearing from the outside view, or the booming footsteps rapidly approaching. What he did notice, however, was the door suddenly swinging open, and the sight of his grandfather standing in the frame - albeit looking much younger than Luffy last remembered.

"Luffy! I know you're sad to see me go, but don't make a ruckus - Luffy?" Garp paused, eyes darting to the broken mirror to the shards of glass on the floor, and then to his grandson's injured hand. His bushy brows furrowed in worry. "Luffy, what happened here?"

But Luffy was silent. He could only stare at his grandfather, dumbfounded - at least, as dumbfounded as one who was injected with a Smile could be.

"G-gramps?" Luffy whimpered. "Ah… ahahaha… Why are you here?"

Now Garp was not a model grandparent. This was clear to anyone who saw him. He was rough on his grandkid, he was stubborn, and he refused to listen to reason. There was a desire within him to see his descendants follow the righteous path of the marines, to not go down the dangerous path his son did. But when something was off, Garp knew there was something wrong. And there was absolutely something wrong with Luffy.

Crouching down to be eye-level with Luffy, Garp held out his hand. Hesitant, Luffy stuck out his own injured hand, resting it on Garp's. He sniffed and grinned.

"I want you to be honest with me," Garp started. "Are you trying to look tough?"

Luffy hiccuped. "No, no!" he said. "I'm - I'm just confused!"

It was honestly true. He didn't have the faintest clue what was going on - he was often called too dumb to figure out the most simple of things. Most times he would wave it off and call it a mystery, but this time he _had _to know.

"Gramps?"

Garp raised a brow. "Yes?"

"Am I in hell?" It was the only natural explanation, of course. There was no way he could have survived Kaido's attack and King's torture, and he knew Garp wasn't going to heaven. So hell it was.

"...Luffy, did you hit your head again?"

"No!" Luffy shot back. "I just don't understand how - how - " He bowed his head down. "I don't get it gramps."

Drops of water fall onto his injured hand and his shorts. It takes him a moment to realise he's crying, and so it does for Garp to. But even then, his smile never leaves his face.

Garp frowned. "Luffy, can you stop smiling?"

Luffy shook his head.

"Who did this to you?"

If he had the energy to glare, he would. Even his tears had turned to angry blotches. Kaido. Kaido _Kaido Kaido. _

"It was K-"

The words froze in his throat, refusing to come out no matter how hard he tried. He began to breathe with shallow breaths, his pace quickening and his heart pounding against his ribcage. Perspiration ran down his neck and face, as he quickly began to find it hard to breath.

"S-shit! Luffy!" His grandpa was violently shaking him in worry. "You gotta breath, Luffy!"

But he couldn't, no matter how hard he tried. It was like a hand was grasping at his heart, stopping it cold. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't say Kaido's name. Damn it, this was pissing him off!

There was a moment of silence, when Garp stopped shaking (thinking that maybe that wasn't the brightest idea) and Luffy collected his thoughts, when he could finally breath again. The hand had disappeared from his heart. Garp quickly settled Luffy down on the bed and sat down next to him, worry etched on his features as he waited for Luffy to continue.

"...I - I don't know," Luffy lied, voice trembling. "I forgot."

He felt something warm and large on the top of his head, and it takes him a moment to realise his grandpa is ruffling his hair. Looking up with awe, he's greeted with a wide grin. "Don't you worry, Luffy! We'll work out who did this and fix you up in no time." Garp raised his fist and punched his own palm. "I'm gonna teach them a lesson - don't mess with Monkeys!"

Luffy wondered if Garp could hold his own against Kaido. Surely he could - the hero of marines, who fought against Roger himself, could hold up against Kaido. But for how long? How long would Garp last until he too would inevitably fall against the fearsome might of an Emperor?

This did nothing to lift his mood.

"Ah - you're still injured!" Garp exclaimed. Luffy stared at his hand numbly. "Come on, let's get you patched up. We'll visit Makino!"

Luffy glanced up at his grandfather. "Makino? She's here too?"

"Why wouldn't she be?" The older man picked Luffy up and held him gently, careful not to hurt the injured hand any more. "You're still in Foosha Village, you know. No matter how many times you try to stowaway on my ship, you'll remain here."

Foosha Village.

The name swept through him in shock. He hadn't heard about his home town in _years_, not since he left almost three years ago. Back then, he'd been a lanky teenager. Now he was… a wimpy child.

Now, Luffy was not smart. But sometimes - _sometimes _\- he could make brilliant deductions.

This was one of those times. For as his grandpa walked with him, himself grinning ear to ear, towards the young and beautiful bartender, Luffy had only one thought in his head.

_I've gone back in time_.

* * *

**So, what did y'all think? I'd love to hear your thoughts in a review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello! So sorry about the wait, got distracted with Uni. Thank you all so much for the favs, follows, and of course the reviews!**

**Now onto the next chapter!**

* * *

While there were times throughout his adventure that he had accepted death (though it may not have come as often once he gathered more of a crew), he could only count on one hand the amount of times he'd actively _wished _for death. The first time had been after Ace's death - a wretched time to think back on, a dark place he never wished to return to again. The second, and final time, was after his crew had been _killed _by Kaido - decimated. That was the word.

His crew was absolutely decimated by Kaido.

Luffy's memories of the events afterwards were foggy at best. At worst, he remembered. A cool shiver ran down his spine as Garp hurried over to Makino's bar, carrying the grinning child with him. The torture he endured at Wano was nothing short of _hell_. He briefly wondered if Ace felt the same torture in Impel Down, or if they had a semblance of humanity left there.

Thinking back to Level Four, he doubted that.

There were many times during his _treatment _with King that he wished for death, if only to be reunited with his crew in the afterlife. He didn't give a damn whether he landed in heaven, or hell, or whatever existed after life. Just so long as he was with his crew, he would be okay. Everything would be okay.

He found himself curling into his grandfather's chest, desperate sobs erupting from him. Once, he had found the older man to be utterly terrifying - despite the moments when familial love would shine through in ways other than a fist. Now there was a sense of comfort from him, a reassurance that everything would be okay.

Luffy held on tighter, and grasped onto that feeling. He liked it.

"Makino!" Garp huffed, bursting into the bar with Luffy in hand. "Makino, are you there?"

"I'm here!" a young woman's voice called out. "What's the matter, Ga - Luffy?"

She looked exactly as he remembered she did - albeit, a bit younger and with shorter hair. Yet it was still as silky as always. She wore the same clothes, though, the same apron, and her hair was tied back with the same orange handkerchief. Glancing around the room, Luffy gaped. It was exactly the same as he remembered. It was only when Garp held him up by the armpits and presented him to Makino that he shook out his reminiscing thoughts and concentrated on the problem set before him.

What problem was that?

"Luffy can't stop smiling!" Garp exclaimed, shaking the young boy slightly (much to Makino's dismay). "It might be an attack from a Devil Fruit user!"

Well, to be fair, there were a great deal of many problems in Luffy's life at that moment. It would be hard to explain just one. But, as he squinted at the barkeeper, his smile stretching and hurting far too much, he understood _exactly _what his own problem was.

He needed his crew.

A few tears dropped down his cheeks. The adults must have mistaken them for sorrow at his current predicament, at the apparent attacker who had stricken him with this smile disease, for they immediately came to his attention and tried to comfort him. Makino's soothing words were a great deal more effective than Garp's weird and goofy faces he made, but nonetheless he couldn't concentrate on them right now. He had to make a plan.

He wasn't the best at plans.

"Do you have anything in the library that might help with this?" Garp asked.

Makino sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I - I don't know. I've read the encyclopedia, but you _know _there's undiscovered fruits out there…"

While the adults talked, he tried to think. The key word being try.

He had to prioritise. Brook and Robin were the first crewmates to come to his mind - while he knew the others would be _somewhat _okay without him (he still didn't know when Arlong would come to Nami's village), he knew for a fact that Brook was still sailing around the Florian Triangle somewhere, and that Robin was currently on the run. Chopper would be too young to sail with him now, Zoro might not agree to being in his crew just yet, Sanji _definitely _wouldn't considering his debt to the old man, Usopp would absolutely _die _if he were to join Luffy's crew now, Franky would never believe him, Jimbei was out of reach as far as he knew.

So, he had to find a ship, go to the Grand Line, and convince a skeleton and a teenager on the run to join his crew.

Things were so much easier when he could just _punch _his problems away. Even when he was growing up in the mountains, he -

He froze.

_Ace and Sabo_.

Okay, there were a lot of things to think about. Perhaps too many. But he _couldn't _just abandon his brothers like that, as much as he wanted to see his crew again. And yet he couldn't let his crewmates live alone like that.

"Luffy, what's wrong? You're turning red," Makino asked, her brows furrowed.

Luffy shot his head up. He had been thinking a lot.

It hurt his head a bit.

"I'm okay!" he said. "I'm just thinking too much!"

Garp howled with laughter, seemingly forgetting about the predicament for a moment. "You take after me, Luffy!" He slapped Luffy on the back - what was supposed to be a friendly gesture that sent the boy stumbling forward. "Oops."

Luffy laughed in response. It was the only thing he could do now, anyway. As much as he wanted to yell at his gramps to stop, all that came out was that loud, forced _laugh_. While he was certainly used to the noise, it was rather unnerving now that it was never-ending. Makino and Garp glanced at each other before the barkeeper knelt down on one knee and placed a hand on Luffy's shoulder.

"Luffy, this might be hard, but you _have _to tell me and your grandpa about anything you might know about this," Makino said. Garp nodded beside her.

Luffy tried to frown, but instead ended up furrowing his brows as his face contorted into some twisted sort of smile. The last time he had tried to speak Kaido's name, the word simply refused to escape his lips.

"K - K - kay!" He grinned from ear-to-ear, sweat dripping down the back of his neck. "I'm from the fu -"

He paused. Nami's voice suddenly cut into his words, so vividly he could have sworn she was there. In fact, he did think she was there - he called out her name, to the adults' confusion, and glanced around the shop before realising his mistake.

'_Idiot! Do you think they're going to believe you if you said something like that?'_ the Nami in his head said.

'_Are you a ghost?' _Luffy thought back.

He imagined her rolling her eyes and turned his attention back to the adults. He trusted Nami's instinct, even if it _was _just a Nami in his head.

"What's Nami?" Garp asked. "Is that the name of the one who did this to you?"

Luffy shook his head. "No, no! It's the name of… of… my pet beetle!"

Lying was never his strong point, but somehow having that constant smile straining his face was a relief in this aspect. Although he still refused to meet their gaze, he no longer whistled (not) nonchalantly and even came up with a convincing one. Though, Nami would probably be mad if she knew he said she was a beetle. He'd have to apologise for that one later.

"I was going to say!" he said, hoping to distract the adults from the lie. "That I - I don't remember anything!"

But yet he remembered everything. Every little detail, down to the picturesque memory in his mind. The images of his crew lying defeated by Kaido were ingrained into his memory.

"Yup! Nothing at all! Sorry Gramps, Makino!"

Without warning, Makino pulled him into a tight embrace. His grandpa stood still behind them both as she clung to him, holding him so tightly he swore if she let go then and there he would be lost forever. She smelt of wooden barrels and lavender, he noted, and as the hug continued he felt himself ease onto her. It took him a few moments to realise he was crying.

"Oh, Luffy," she murmured. "We'll fix this, okay? Your grandpa is a strong Marine. He'll find a way to fix you."

Gramps.

Garp.

Garp the Hero.

Marine.

Garp was a Vice Admiral. Garp had access to Marine Battleships.

_Garp could go to the Grand Line_.

For the first time in Luffy's life, he thought of a plan, all on his own.

* * *

"Are you sure about this, Luffy?" Makino asked, handing the boy a lunchbox wrapped into a handkerchief.

Luffy nodded in return, beaming as petty officers prepared for boarding around them. He had never been more sure of something in his life, he was pretty sure - then again, he was sure of most things in his life. This was _absolutely _the way to see his crew again. It was the only way. And besides, this way, he could pick up a few things from his grandpa.

Not that he was particularly excited at the prospect of training with Garp again, but… what other choice did he have?

Makino sighed, though there was a comforting smile on her face. "I'll come to see you off. Garp's a strong man, he'll find a cure for you," she said.

"Reindeers are good at finding cures."

She tilted her head. "Hm? Sorry?"

Realising what he had said, Luffy quickly covered his mouth with his hands and chuckled. "I was thinking of a - um. A story!"

"You're reading now?" Makino seemed ecstatic at the thought. "Without me? You're reading all by yourself?"

Right - at this point in his life, Makino had been teaching him how to read, albeit only the basics. He learnt how to read more complicated stuff with Robin. Still, a wave of nostalgia washed over him as he nodded. "I can read!" he exclaimed, holding his arms out. "And I've read lots of stories. Lots!"

She chuckled. "I'm proud of you, Luffy."

"They're all about pirates, though. Like, did you know that there's an island in the -"

He froze.

In the distance, he saw Garp walking back from the mountains, no doubt back from a visit to Ace. Now, there were two reasons Luffy paused in that moment. One, his thought immediately went to Ace and faltered on his crew. Two, if Garp were to hear him tell stories about Pirates and declare his _dream_ \- which, despite Kaido and King and _all of their worst efforts_, had still not changed. Luffy was bold, but was he bold enough to tell Garp he wanted to be an outlaw?

He'd wait for Shanks on that one.

Garp finally arrived at the docks where Makino and Luffy waited, walking down the steps to greet the crew that would be guiding him and his grandson to the Grand Line. After much discussion with the marine captain that accompanied him - Luffy never bothered learning his name before, and he certainly wasn't going to now - Garp finally turned his attention to his grandson.

"Ready, Luffy?" he grinned. "I'm gonna find you that cure _and _show you what a Marine is all about!"

"I told you! I'm gonna be -" Oh - oh no. The words were coming out before he could stop them. Garp's brows were raised in questioning, and Luffy did _not _want to see them lower in rage when he called out his dream. "- I'm gonna be a s-strong Marine like you, gramps!"

That hurt to say. Just throwing away his dream like that. Yet he _had _to, for the better of their future.

Luckily, Garp seemed to buy the obvious lie, as he beamed brightly and picked Luffy up. "Thatta boy!"

It would have been a picturesque image of grandfather and grandson, had Luffy not been forced to lie and smile for the chance of seeing his crew again. Still, he had no time to waste - his crew was out there waiting for him.

"Let's get a move on, gramps!" he declared, his voice far-too-squeaky to be giving out orders like that. He would have flushed had he not been so determined.

The Vice Admiral chuckled, turning to Makino. "Thank you for taking care of Luffy for this long. I'll bring him back with a smile on his face." A pause. "Not this kind of smile, though!"

With a final hearty laugh, and farewells from Makino, Luffy and Garp boarded the Marine ship, ready to sail onto the Grand Line.

Two weeks after leaving Foosha Village, Luffy had yet to learn the crew's names. As much as Garp encouraged him to try to talk to them and get to know the 'strong men that kept justice and peace in the seas', he feigned the excuse of not feeling well and stayed by himself. Of course, that didn't stop Garp from getting quality time with his grandson.

"Do I _have _to, gramps?" Luffy whined. "Why can't I just use a punch like you?"

Garp stood tall above Luffy, holding a wooden sword in one hand and a straw dummy in the other. He shook his head defiantly. "I told you, Luffy! All great Marines know the _basics _of using a sword! What better time than now to teach you?"

The pair of them stood below deck, the rest of the crew having been cleared to upstairs while Luffy and Garp 'trained'. Though, Luffy saw no need for training - even considering the fact that he knew _haki_, he could use a sword just fine. He used that sword in Wano alright.

But Garp wasn't about to hear any of that. Nor would he believe Luffy, for that matter.

The old geezer threw the sword at him, shoving the dummy into the wood of the deck, and he clumsily caught the sword in both his arms. It was made of bamboo, and it smelt like it too. Luffy held the hilt in his hands, feeling the weight. It was light, of course, as it was a training sword. But as he held it, he couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity.

"...Onigiri…" he murmured through giggles.

"What? You want some lunch?" Garp said, picking his nose. "We're stopping at an island later today, we'll get you some onigiri then."

Luffy paused before nodding. Zoro's attack names _were _stupid.

"In any case, give the dummy a good whacking. Make your gramps proud."

Without warning, Luffy charged at the dummy and threw a punch with his sword hand. His fist never connected with the straw. In fact, he was still a good few steps away from reaching the practice dummy. With a horrified smile etched on his face, Luffy stepped back.

_Oh, right_.

He didn't have the Gum Gum fruit anymore.

Distance was going to be a problem for him now. Before, he could just stretch to opponents he couldn't reach. He had the range. Now, he didn't have the range. He had to move in quicker, and dodge quicker himself.

"That's a uh - a nice first try, Luffy!" Garp said, clapping.

Luffy's ears turned red. "You know it wasn't!"

"You talking back to me, boy?"

"N-no!" Luffy stuttered. "I just need to try again!"

He stepped forward in range of the dummy and threw a barrage of punches, none of which he infused with Haki, and none of which included any sword techniques at all. Even the most basic ones were forgotten in favour of simple jabs and punches. Garp watched on all the meanwhile, nodding proudly at the sight of his grandson failing to use a sword yet punching the living daylights out of the straw.

Finally, Luffy collapsed onto the floor, the straw dummy in tatters around him and his chest rising and falling with each breath he took. Grinning, he looked at his grandpa. "I did it!"

"I'm proud to be your grandfather, Luffy," Garp said. "That was fine swordsmanship you displayed there."

Luffy chuckled in return. He liked his style of sword-fighting.

The sound of footsteps from up above and the door to the deck opening cut into their conversation, and a Petty Officer stood at the top of the stairs, saluting. "Sir! We've landed on the island!" he announced. "There's no Naval Base here, but we're welcome anyway! Sir!"

Garp picked Luffy up off the ground and dusted him off. "Coming!"

The officer nodded and ran back onto the deck.

"Now, Luffy, I don't want you to get lost while we're on this island. So stick _close _by me at all times, okay?"

It sure was a different sight from the man who threw him into a jungle, that's for sure. Luffy nodded, not really listening after that. Really, all he could think of was food. Those onigiris Garp promised sounded real appetising right about now.

After some preparation, Lufy and Garp left the ship. It was a small island they had landed on - not much there apart from a town and a forest. Yet, it was peaceful, and Luffy was grateful there wasn't any _ruckus _in the island. The last thing he wanted was to fight someone in this form - it was hard enough fighting in his Gear Third small form when he was an adult. Now he was in the body of a small child who could barely lift a thing.

Garp treated himself, Luffy, and all the Marines to lunch in a local tavern. It wasn't as cool as Makino's tavern, Luffy noted, nor was the company as fun as Shanks' crew, but it was nice all the same.

As the Hero of the Marines and his crew drank and ate merrily, Luffy found himself itching for the outside again. Oh, their company was _nice _for sure, but they simply weren't as rambunctious as pirates were. Besides, he needed a sense of adventure!

If Garp noticed him sneaking out, he didn't say anything. He just continued to drink while Luffy exited the tavern, looking up and down the single street for something to look at. Really, the most appealing part of the island seemed like the forest, so that was where he went running.

He barely went deep into the thicket before his head collided with something - no, someone - hard, and he fell backwards. Grunting and rubbing his forehead, he jumped up and grinned with furious rage. "Watch where you're going, damn it!"

"Oh, sorry!" a girl responded. "He didn't see where he was going."

But Luffy couldn't say a word.

For, lying in front of him, also rubbing his forehead, was a boy with mint-green hair.


End file.
